Use of neurological criteria to declare death in children.

Accurate determination of death is a necessary responsibility of the medical profession. Brain death, or death by neurological criteria (DNC), can be legally declared after the determination of permanent loss of clinical brain function, including the capacity for consciousness, brainstem reflexes, and the ability to breathe spontaneously. Despite longstanding debates over the exact definition of brain death or DNC and how it is determined, most middle- and high-income countries have compatible medical protocols and legal policies for brain death or DNC. This review summarizes the 2023 updated guidelines for brain death or DNC determination, which integrate adult and pediatric diagnostic criteria. We discuss the clinical challenges related to brain death or DNC determination in infants and young children. We emphasize that physicians must follow the standardized and meticulous evaluation processes outlined in these guidelines to reduce diagnostic error and ensure no false positive determinations. An essential component of the brain death or DNC evaluation is appropriate and transparent communication with families. Ongoing efforts to promote consistency and legal uniformity in the declaration of death are needed.

The Enigma of Methanol Synthesis by Cu/ZnO/Al2O3-Based Catalysts.

The activity and durability of the Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 (CZA) catalyst formulation for methanol synthesis from CO/CO2/H2 feeds far exceed the sum of its individual components. As such, this ternary catalytic system is a prime example of synergy in catalysis, one that has been employed for the large scale commercial production of methanol since its inception in the mid 1960s with precious little alteration to its original formulation. Methanol is a key building block of the chemical industry. It is also an attractive energy storage molecule, which can also be produced from CO2 and H2 alone, making efficient use of sequestered CO2. As such, this somewhat unusual catalyst formulation has an enormous role to play in the modern chemical industry and the world of global economics, to which the correspondingly voluminous and ongoing research, which began in the 1920s, attests. Yet, despite this commercial success, and while research aimed at understanding how this formulation functions has continued throughout the decades, a comprehensive and universally agreed upon understanding of how this material achieves what it does has yet to be realized. After nigh on a century of research into CZA catalysts, the purpose of this Review is to appraise what has been achieved to date, and to show how, and how far, the field has evolved. To do so, this Review evaluates the research regarding this catalyst formulation in a chronological order and critically assesses the validity and novelty of various hypotheses and claims that have been made over the years. Ultimately, the Review attempts to derive a holistic summary of what the current body of literature tells us about the fundamental sources of the synergies at work within the CZA catalyst and, from this, suggest ways in which the field may yet be further advanced.

Hippocampal sclerosis and temporal lobe epilepsy following febrile status epilepticus: The FEBSTAT study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine whether hippocampal T2 hyperintensity predicts sequelae of febrile status epilepticus, including hippocampal atrophy, sclerosis, and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. METHODS: Acute magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was obtained within a mean of 4.4 (SD = 5.5, median = 2.0) days after febrile status on >200 infants with follow-up MRI at approximately 1, 5, and 10 years. Hippocampal size, morphology, and T2 signal intensity were scored visually by neuroradiologists blinded to clinical details. Hippocampal volumetry provided quantitative measurement. Upon the occurrence of two or more unprovoked seizures, subjects were reassessed for epilepsy. Hippocampal volumes were normalized using total brain volumes. RESULTS: Fourteen of 22 subjects with acute hippocampal T2 hyperintensity returned for follow-up MRI, and 10 developed definite hippocampal sclerosis, which persisted through the 10-year follow-up. Hippocampi appearing normal initially remained normal on visual inspection. However, in subjects with normal-appearing hippocampi, volumetrics indicated that male, but not female, hippocampi were smaller than controls, but increasing hippocampal asymmetry was not seen following febrile status. Forty-four subjects developed epilepsy; six developed mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and, of the six, two had definite, two had equivocal, and two had no hippocampal sclerosis. Only one subject developed mesial temporal epilepsy without initial hyperintensity, and that subject had hippocampal malrotation. Ten-year cumulative incidence of all types of epilepsy, including mesial temporal epilepsy, was highest in subjects with initial T2 hyperintensity and lowest in those with normal signal and no other brain abnormalities. SIGNIFICANCE: Hippocampal T2 hyperintensity following febrile status epilepticus predicted hippocampal sclerosis and significant likelihood of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Normal hippocampal appearance in the acute postictal MRI was followed by maintained normal appearance, symmetric growth, and lower risk of epilepsy. Volumetric measurement detected mildly decreased hippocampal volume in males with febrile status.

A case report of riboflavin transporter deficiency: A novel heterozygous pathogenic variant in the SLC52A3 gene.

Riboflavin transporter deficiency (RTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that presents from infancy to adulthood with a progressive axonal neuropathy characterized by a variety of neurologic symptoms including hearing loss, weakness, bulbar palsy, and respiratory insufficiency. Pathogenic variants in SLC52A2 and SLC52A3 are implicated in the pathogenesis of RTD type 2 and 3, respectively. Early identification of this disorder is critical, as it is treatable with riboflavin supplementation. We describe a 16-year-old female with a phenotype consistent with RTD3 found to have a novel heterozygous SLC52A3 variant. Though RTD is typically considered an autosomal recessive condition, her heterozygous variant was thought to be disease causing after further genetic analysis and given her improvement in response to riboflavin supplementation. This case highlights the importance of reinterpretation of genetic testing, particularly when there is a high clinical suspicion for disease.

An integrative taxonomy study reveals a rare new species of the genus Creptotrema (Trematoda: Allocreadiidae) in an endangered frog in South America.

During an ecological study with a near-endangered anuran in Brazil, the Schmidt's Spinythumb frog, Crossodactylus schmidti Gallardo, 1961, we were given a chance to analyze the gastrointestinal tract of a few individuals for parasites. In this paper, we describe a new species of an allocreadiid trematode of the genus Creptotrema Travassos, Artigas & Pereira, 1928, which possesses a unique trait among allocreadiids (i.e., a bivalve shell-like muscular structure at the opening of the ventral sucker); the new species represents the fourth species of allocreadiid trematode parasitizing amphibians. Besides, the new species is distinguished from other congeners by the combination of characters such as the body size, ventral sucker size, cirrus-sac size, and by having small eggs. DNA sequences through the 28S rDNA and COI mtDNA further corroborated the distinction of the new species. Phylogenetic analyses placed the newly generated sequences in a monophyletic clade together with all other sequenced species of Creptotrema. Genetic divergences between the new species and other Creptotrema spp. varied from 2.0 to 4.2% for 28S rDNA, and 15.1 to 16.8% for COI mtDNA, providing robust validation for the recognition of the new species. Even though allocreadiids are mainly parasites of freshwater fishes, our results confirm anurans as hosts of trematodes of this family. Additionally, we propose the reallocation of Auriculostoma ocloya Liquin, Gilardoni, Cremonte, Saravia, Cristóbal & Davies, 2022 to the genus Creptotrema. This study increases the known diversity of allocreadiids and contributes to our understanding of their evolutionary relationships, host-parasite relationships, and biogeographic history.

Quantifying Förster Resonance Energy Transfer from Single Perovskite Quantum Dots to Organic Dyes.

Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are promising regenerable photoredox catalysts offering broadly tunable redox potentials along with high absorption coefficients. QDs have thus far been examined for various organic transformations, water splitting, and CO2 reduction. Vast opportunities emerge from coupling QDs with other homogeneous catalysts, such as transition metal complexes or organic dyes, into hybrid nanoassemblies exploiting energy transfer (ET), leveraging a large absorption cross-section of QDs and long-lived triplet states of cocatalysts. However, a thorough understanding and further engineering of the complex operational mechanisms of hybrid nanoassemblies require simultaneously controlling the surface chemistry of the QDs and probing dynamics at sufficient spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we probe the ET from single lead halide perovskite QDs, capped by alkylphospholipid ligands, to organic dye molecules employing single-particle photoluminescence spectroscopy with single-photon resolution. We identify a Förster-type ET by spatial, temporal, and photon-photon correlations in the QD and dye emission. Discrete quenching steps in the acceptor emission reveal stochastic photobleaching events of individual organic dyes, allowing a precise quantification of the transfer efficiency, which is >70% for QD-dye complexes with strong donor-acceptor spectral overlap. Our work explores the processes occurring at the QD/molecule interface and demonstrates the feasibility of sensitizing organic photocatalysts with QDs.

Heavy metal movement through insect food chains in pristine thermal springs of Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park thermal features regularly discharge various heavy metals and metalloids. These metals are taken up by microorganisms that often form mats in thermal springs. These microbial mats also serve as food sources for invertebrate assemblages. To examine how heavy metals move through insect food webs associated with hot springs, two sites were selected for this study. Dragon-Beowulf Hot Springs, acid-sulfate chloride springs, have a pH of 2.9, water temperatures above 70 °C, and populations of thermophilic bacterial, archaeal, and algal mats. Rabbit Creek Hot Springs, alkaline springs, have a pH of up to 9, some water temperatures in excess of 60 °C, and are populated with thermophilic and phototrophic bacterial mats. Mats in both hydrothermal systems form the trophic base and support active metal transfer to terrestrial food chains. In both types of springs, invertebrates bioaccumulated heavy metals including chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, cadmium, mercury, tin and lead, and the metalloids arsenic, selenium, and antimony resulting from consuming the algal and bacterial mat biomass. At least two orders of magnitude increase in concentrations were observed in the ephydrid shore fly Paracoenia turbida, as compared to the mats for all metals except antimony, mercury, and lead. The highest bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of 729 was observed for chromium. At the other end of the food web, the invertebrate apex predator, Cicindelidia haemorrhagica, had at least a 10-fold BAF for all metals at some location-year combinations, except with antimony. Of other taxa, high BAFs were observed with zinc for Nebria sp. (2180) and for Salda littoralis (1080). This accumulation, occurring between primary producer and primary consumer trophic levels at both springs, is biomagnified through the trophic web. These observations suggest trace metals enter the geothermal food web through the microbial mat community and are then transferred through the food chain. Also, while bioaccumulation of arsenic is uncommon, we observed five instances of increases near or exceeding 10-fold: Odontomyia sp. larvae (13.6), P. turbida (34.8), C. haemorrhagica (9.7), Rhagovelia distincta (16.3), and Ambrysus mormon (42.8).

Colloidal Aziridinium Lead Bromide Quantum Dots.

The compositional engineering of lead-halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) via the A-site cation represents a lever to fine-tune their structural and electronic properties. However, the presently available chemical space remains minimal since, thus far, only three A-site cations have been reported to favor the formation of stable lead-halide perovskite NCs, i.e., Cs+, formamidinium (FA), and methylammonium (MA). Inspired by recent reports on bulk single crystals with aziridinium (AZ) as the A-site cation, we present a facile colloidal synthesis of AZPbBr3 NCs with a narrow size distribution and size tunability down to 4 nm, producing quantum dots (QDs) in the regime of strong quantum confinement. NMR and Raman spectroscopies confirm the stabilization of the AZ cations in the locally distorted cubic structure. AZPbBr3 QDs exhibit bright photoluminescence with quantum efficiencies of up to 80%. Stabilized with cationic and zwitterionic capping ligands, single AZPbBr3 QDs exhibit stable single-photon emission, which is another essential attribute of QDs. In particular, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide and 2-octyldodecyl-phosphoethanolamine ligands afford AZPbBr3 QDs with high spectral stability at both room and cryogenic temperatures, reduced blinking with a characteristic ON fraction larger than 85%, and high single-photon purity (g(2)(0) = 0.1), all comparable to the best-reported values for MAPbBr3 and FAPbBr3 QDs of the same size.

A scalable federated learning solution for secondary care using low-cost microcomputing: privacy-preserving development and evaluation of a COVID-19 screening test in UK hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Multicentre training could reduce biases in medical artificial intelligence (AI); however, ethical, legal, and technical considerations can constrain the ability of hospitals to share data. Federated learning enables institutions to participate in algorithm development while retaining custody of their data but uptake in hospitals has been limited, possibly as deployment requires specialist software and technical expertise at each site. We previously developed an artificial intelligence-driven screening test for COVID-19 in emergency departments, known as CURIAL-Lab, which uses vital signs and blood tests that are routinely available within 1 h of a patient's arrival. Here we aimed to federate our COVID-19 screening test by developing an easy-to-use embedded system-which we introduce as full-stack federated learning-to train and evaluate machine learning models across four UK hospital groups without centralising patient data. METHODS: We supplied a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B preloaded with our federated learning software pipeline to four National Health Service (NHS) hospital groups in the UK: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH; through the locally linked research University, University of Oxford), University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BH), and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PUH). OUH, PUH, and UHB participated in federated training, training a deep neural network and logistic regressor over 150 rounds to form and calibrate a global model to predict COVID-19 status, using clinical data from patients admitted before the pandemic (COVID-19-negative) and testing positive for COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic. We conducted a federated evaluation of the global model for admissions during the second wave of the pandemic at OUH, PUH, and externally at BH. For OUH and PUH, we additionally performed local fine-tuning of the global model using the sites' individual training data, forming a site-tuned model, and evaluated the resultant model for admissions during the second wave of the pandemic. This study included data collected between Dec 1, 2018, and March 1, 2021; the exact date ranges used varied by site. The primary outcome was overall model performance, measured as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Removable micro secure digital (microSD) storage was destroyed on study completion. FINDINGS: Clinical data from 130 941 patients (1772 COVID-19-positive), routinely collected across three hospital groups (OUH, PUH, and UHB), were included in federated training. The evaluation step included data from 32 986 patients (3549 COVID-19-positive) attending OUH, PUH, or BH during the second wave of the pandemic. Federated training of a global deep neural network classifier improved upon performance of models trained locally in terms of AUROC by a mean of 27·6% (SD 2·2): AUROC increased from 0·574 (95% CI 0·560-0·589) at OUH and 0·622 (0·608-0·637) at PUH using the locally trained models to 0·872 (0·862-0·882) at OUH and 0·876 (0·865-0·886) at PUH using the federated global model. Performance improvement was smaller for a logistic regression model, with a mean increase in AUROC of 13·9% (0·5%). During federated external evaluation at BH, AUROC for the global deep neural network model was 0·917 (0·893-0·942), with 89·7% sensitivity (83·6-93·6) and 76·6% specificity (73·9-79·1). Site-specific tuning of the global model did not significantly improve performance (change in AUROC <0·01). INTERPRETATION: We developed an embedded system for federated learning, using microcomputing to optimise for ease of deployment. We deployed full-stack federated learning across four UK hospital groups to develop a COVID-19 screening test without centralising patient data. Federation improved model performance, and the resultant global models were generalisable. Full-stack federated learning could enable hospitals to contribute to AI development at low cost and without specialist technical expertise at each site. FUNDING: The Wellcome Trust, University of Oxford Medical and Life Sciences Translational Fund.

Single-photon superradiance in individual caesium lead halide quantum dots.

The brightness of an emitter is ultimately described by Fermi's golden rule, with a radiative rate proportional to its oscillator strength times the local density of photonic states. As the oscillator strength is an intrinsic material property, the quest for ever brighter emission has relied on the local density of photonic states engineering, using dielectric or plasmonic resonators1,2. By contrast, a much less explored avenue is to boost the oscillator strength, and hence the emission rate, using a collective behaviour termed superradiance. Recently, it was proposed3 that the latter can be realized using the giant oscillator-strength transitions of a weakly confined exciton in a quantum well when its coherent motion extends over many unit cells. Here we demonstrate single-photon superradiance in perovskite quantum dots with a sub-100 picosecond radiative decay time, almost as short as the reported exciton coherence time4. The characteristic dependence of radiative rates on the size, composition and temperature of the quantum dot suggests the formation of giant transition dipoles, as confirmed by effective-mass calculations. The results aid in the development of ultrabright, coherent quantum light sources and attest that quantum effects, for example, single-photon emission, persist in nanoparticles ten times larger than the exciton Bohr radius.

A new species of Urocleidoides Mizelle & Price, 1964 from the gills of Schizodon nasutus Kner, 1858 (Characiformes, Anostomidae) in southeastern Brazil.

Based on an integrative approach, this study describes a new species of Urocleidoides infesting Schizodon nasutus in the Paranapanema River basin, Brazil. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by specific morphological features, including the shape of the male copulatory organ and accessory piece, the ventral bar shape, and the shape and size of the hooks. Molecular analyses, particularly of the 28S rDNA gene, suggest a close relationship between the new species and Urocleidoides paradoxus. The phylogenetic and taxonomic arrangement of Urocleidoides is discussed, as the analyses of the 28S rDNA and COI mtDNA resolved the genus as non-monophyletic, with Diaphorocleidus, Rhinoxenus, and Cacatuocotyle nested within it. Additional morphological and molecular data of other congeneric species are required to investigate the phylogenetic position and classification of Urocleidoides. This study underscores the significance of using integrative approaches in understanding host-parasite associations and phylogenetic relationships, contributing to the description of the freshwater fish parasite biodiversity in South America, particularly in the Paranapanema river basin.

CRISPR-Cas9 base editing of pathogenic CaMKIIδ improves cardiac function in a humanized mouse model.

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality, highlighting the necessity for advanced therapeutic strategies. Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIδ (CaMKIIδ) is a prominent inducer of various cardiac disorders, which is mediated by 2 oxidation-sensitive methionine residues within the regulatory domain. We have previously shown that ablation of CaMKIIδ oxidation by CRISPR-Cas9 base editing enables the heart to recover function from otherwise severe damage following ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. Here, we extended this therapeutic concept toward potential clinical translation. We generated a humanized CAMK2D knockin mouse model in which the genomic sequence encoding the entire regulatory domain was replaced with the human sequence. This enabled comparison and optimization of two different editing strategies for the human genome in mice. To edit CAMK2D in vivo, we packaged the optimized editing components into an engineered myotropic adeno-associated virus (MyoAAV 2A), which enabled efficient delivery at a very low AAV dose into the humanized mice at the time of IR injury. CAMK2D-edited mice recovered cardiac function, showed improved exercise performance, and were protected from myocardial fibrosis, which was otherwise observed in injured control mice after IR. Our findings identify a potentially effective strategy for cardioprotection in response to oxidative damage.

Designer phospholipid capping ligands for soft metal halide nanocrystals.

The success of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) in science and optoelectronics is inextricable from their surfaces. The functionalization of lead halide perovskite NCs1-5 poses a formidable challenge because of their structural lability, unlike the well-established covalent ligand capping of conventional semiconductor NCs6,7. We posited that the vast and facile molecular engineering of phospholipids as zwitterionic surfactants can deliver highly customized surface chemistries for metal halide NCs. Molecular dynamics simulations implied that ligand-NC surface affinity is primarily governed by the structure of the zwitterionic head group, particularly by the geometric fitness of the anionic and cationic moieties into the surface lattice sites, as corroborated by the nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy data. Lattice-matched primary-ammonium phospholipids enhance the structural and colloidal integrity of hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites (FAPbBr3 and MAPbBr3 (FA, formamidinium; MA, methylammonium)) and lead-free metal halide NCs. The molecular structure of the organic ligand tail governs the long-term colloidal stability and compatibility with solvents of diverse polarity, from hydrocarbons to acetone and alcohols. These NCs exhibit photoluminescence quantum yield of more than 96% in solution and solids and minimal photoluminescence intermittency at the single particle level with an average ON fraction as high as 94%, as well as bright and high-purity (about 95%) single-photon emission.

Excited-state proton transfer based fluorescence in Kaempferol powder and solutions with different concentrations.

Kaempferol (KMP) is one of the most common flavonoids, currently being extensively studied for its numerous beneficial health effects. Here we study the fluorescence (FL) emission of KMP powder and of its solutions prepared using different types of solvents (polar and non-polar). In the spectra of KMP powder and KMP solutions with high concentration, the same FL peak with maximum at 1.9 eV is observed. Another FL peak, at higher energy of 2.45 eV, emerges in solutions, its relative intensity increases with decreasing solution concentration. The FL emission of solutions with lowest concentration displays only that peak. To calculate characteristic energies of absorption and emission of KMP molecule in vacuum and in solutions we use time-dependent density functional theory. Comparing the results of computations with measured FL spectra, we associate the FL band at 1.9 eV with the emission due to excited state intramolecular transfer of the proton of -OH5 hydroxyl group. The FL emission at 2.45 eV is related to the -OH3 proton transfer. We measure the FL spectra of KMP powder using two different excitation energies, 3.06 eV and 2.33 eV, and find that its FL spectrum depends on the excitation energy. To understand that dependence, we compare the FL spectra of KMP and Q monohydrate powders. We consider the excited state intermolecular transfer of the proton from -OH3' hydroxyl group to a neighboring molecule in Q crystal and calculate the energy corresponding to the emission of the resulted anion of Q molecule. The spectral feature at 1.69 eV observed only in the FL spectrum of Q hydrate is attributed to the Q anion FL emission.

Scaphanocephalus spp. (Trematoda: Opisthorchiidae) in intermediate and definitive hosts of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, with a re-description of Scaphanocephalus expansus.

Scaphanocephalus is a small trematode genus belonging to the family Opistorchiidae. The genus currently contains only three species associated with marine fish as intermediate hosts and fish-eating birds as definitive hosts. Here, specimens of Scaphanocephalus were collected from the Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, and the White mullet, Mugil curema in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. We report for the first-time DNA sequences of adult specimens of Scaphanocephalus, particularly S. expansus, as well as a sequence of a different species sampled as metacercaria. Morphological comparisons of Scaphanocephalus expansus confirmed the identity of the adult specimens, with minor morphological variations; Scanning electron photomicrographs were included, and the species was re-described. Phylogenetic analysis based on 28S rDNA sequences showed that Scaphanocephalus is monophyletic within Opisthorchiidae and consists of three independent lineages. Sequences of adults are identical to those of S. expansus. Instead, the sequence of the metacercaria sampled from the mesentery of Mugil curema nested with specimens reported as Scaphanocephalus sp. from a labrid fish in the Mediterranean Sea, herein named it as Scaphanocephalus sp. 2.

Development of Asthma-Like Symptoms After COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Background Coronaviruses are viral agents that commonly infect animals, but have the ability to cause respiratory illness in humans, exemplified by the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19). Due to the sparse literature on the effects of COVID-19 on the respiratory system, and the possible development of persistent asthma-like symptoms after infection, this cross-sectional analysis was performed in order to compare the clinical and investigative parameters between post-COVID patients and asthmatic patients. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with prior history of COVID-19 infection that presented to the pulmonology or respiratory outpatient clinics with asthma-like symptoms and were subsequently compared to known asthmatic patients with absent history of prior COVID-19 infection, in order to evaluate the degree of similarity between both cohorts. In this study, asthma-like symptoms were defined as: (i) cough, (ii) wheezing, (iii) chest tightness, and (iv) shortness of breath. Moreover, comparisons of investigative parameters were also performed, including (i) fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), (ii) serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), (iii) absolute eosinophil counts, and (iv) qualitative spirometry results. All statistical analyses were conducted via chi-squared testing for categorical variables, and independent t-test for continuous variables. Results In this study, there were a total of 76 patients included that conformed to the eligibility criteria, including 39 patients with post-COVID symptoms with absent history of asthma or other respiratory illnesses, and 37 patients with known asthma with absent history of prior COVID-19 infection or other respiratory illnesses. Overall, this study revealed the similarities between both cohorts with respect to the incidence of cough, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Moreover, there were similarities between the serum IgE and spirometry results. However, there were differences within the complaint of wheeze, FeNO values, and eosinophil counts between both cohorts. The placement of post-COVID patients on bronchodilator therapy involving inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists revealed improvement in all follow-up patients. Conclusion In conclusion, there was considerable similarity in the complaint of asthma-like symptoms after COVID-19 infection, associated with an improvement after the use of bronchodilator therapy, indicating the potential role of anti-asthma therapy (e.g., bronchodilator therapy) in managing post-COVID asthma-like symptoms. In order to validate our conclusion, further comprehensive studies with robust methodologies and larger sample populations are encouraged.

Blue Light Potentiates Antibiotics in Bacteria via Parallel Pathways of Hydroxyl Radical Production and Enhanced Antibiotic Uptake.

In the age of antimicrobial resistance, the urgency by which novel therapeutic approaches need to be introduced into the clinical pipeline has reached critical levels. Antimicrobial blue light (aBL), as an alternative approach, has demonstrated promise as a stand-alone therapeutic method, albeit with a limited window of antimicrobial activity. Work by others indicates that treatment with antibiotics increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which may, in part, contribute to the bactericidal effects of antibiotics. These findings suggest that there may be potential for synergistic interactions with aBL, that similarly generates ROS. Therefore, in this study, the mechanism of aBL is investigated, and the potential for aBL to synergistically promote antibiotic activity is similarly evaluated. Furthermore, the translatability of using aBL and chloramphenicol in combination within a mouse model of Acinetobacter baumanii burn infection is assessed. It is concluded that porphyrins and hydroxyl radicals driven by "free iron" are paramount to the effectiveness of aBL; and aBL is effective at promoting multiple antibiotics in different multidrug-resistant bacteria. Moreover, rROS up-regulation, and promoted antibiotic uptake are observed during aBL+antibiotic exposure. Lastly, aBL combined with chloramphenicol appears to be both effective and safe for the treatment of A. baumannii burn infection. In conclusion, aBL may be a useful adjunct therapy to antibiotics to potentiate their action.

Integrative analysis of new Clinostomum metacercariae (Digenea, Clinostomidae) using COI mtDNA and morphology rises the number of lineages found in South American freshwater fishes.

Clinostomidae is a diverse family of digenean parasitizing fish-eating birds as adults and fishes as metacercariae. The species composition, within the genus Clinostomum has been steadily increasing in recent years. In Argentina, four named species of Clinostomum have been documented, accompanied by four metacercariae representing distinct genetic lineages whose adults have not been identified. This study focused on examining clinostomids in three fish species - Australoheros scitulus (ASI), Cichlasoma dimerus (CDIM), and Pimelodella laticeps (PLA) - at various localities in Argentina. We conducted both morphological and molecular characterizations of the Clinostomum metacercariae collected from these fish species. Molecular phylogenetic analyses using COI mtDNA were performed to determine the placement of these metacercariae within the clinostomid phylogenetic tree. Clinostomum ASC represents a distinct lineage, morphologically distinguishable from other sequenced metacercariae due to its body shape (widest anteriorly and becoming slender towards the posterior end); this lineage was found to be closely related to C. caffarae. While Clinostomum CDIM and Clinostomum PLA exhibited morphological differences, they clustered together genetically with metacercariae reported in previous studies as Clinostomum L3 and Clinostomum CVI. This outcome, coupled with a low genetic distance (0 to 3%), suggests that they are conspecific with metacercariae found in fish across Mexico, Costa Rica, and Argentina. In light of the extensive diversity of fish species in Argentine freshwater ecosystems (over 500 species), and considering the relatively constrained extent of prior investigations, the anticipation of unearthing additional Clinostomum species or lineages is plausible.